Truck On The StrEAT : D’Lish Curbside Bistro

Hello everyone! I hope you’re all having a great month so far. Today’s guest is fellow food truck owner, Billy Flanagan from D’Lish Curbside Bistro. Billy has done a great job getting his name out there and becoming a voice of influence in the Houston food truck community. With his wide background in both business and the restaurant industry, Billy has become a pioneer in different food truck categories. If you are looking to get in to the food truck business, this is definitely someone to talk to for advice. I consider him a great mentor and teacher. He is always willing to share his knowledge with someone who is willing to listen. Here is what he had to say about his experience in the food truck industry so far.

1. How long have you had your business?

15 months. We’ve been in business since the middle of October 2014

2. What do you think of the food truck business so far?

I came in with no expectations, but knew it was going to be a tough business. I’m always trying to innovate and perfect my concept. I’ve had fun along the way and met a lot of really great people so I have no complaints.

Owner, Billy Flanagan in front of his food truck. Dlish Curbside Bistro. | https://www.facebook.com/DLisHCurbside/?fref=ts

This business is a lot more difficult than people realize. Oddly, the Movie Chef probably got a lot of people interested in the business, but it didn’t really give people an accurate perception of what to expect or how difficult it actually is to build the business. It’s tough and very competitive. If you are not competitive, not willing to pound the pavement, not detailed oriented or good at execution, then this business isn’t for you.

3. What inspired you to start a food truck?

When I moved to Houston, I knew I wanted to open a Brick & Mortar, but didn’t exactly know what kind of concept or where.  Then I figured the most cost effective way to move forward was to open a Food Truck to Test a few ideas in various parts of Houston and fine tune and see where our concept would resonate.

4. What did you do before this? What’s your background?

Corporate America. Category Management, Brand and Product development along with other things.  I Also Used to Own Restaurants in the Past so have a Varied Background.

5.What makes your concept stand out from your competition?

We’re One of a Kind.  An Eclectic, New American Bistro style truck with Huge Variety.  We’re also the Creators of the TEXified Poutine Style Fries.

We like to think we’re  Innovators as are many other trucks.  We’re the first to launch non-traditional poutine style fries in a big way. We TEXified it and are known for this category—we pushed the envelope and succeeded.  Some would say we pioneered this category in Houston along with a few other great food trucks before us.

We are also innovators in the Burger Category.  We were the first truck to incorporate Lobster into a Burger to Create Unique Surf and Turf Burger, Our Smoked Lobster & Gouda Burger.  Some thought the idea was crazy, but now we’re know for this Burger.

We’re always experimenting with foods because we don’t want to be pigeon holed into any one category.  That’s why we have an extensive menu with more variety than most other food trucks.  Our eclectic menu enables us to appeal to broad spectrum of customers in a variety of different settings.

6.What’s been your biggest challenge so far?

Expanding Our Reach, Getting new customers & Staying Innovative.

7. What do you like most about the food truck business?

It’s a community and food trucks are willing to help each other.  We wouldn’t be where we are today if it wasn’t for the help and support of others in the beginning.  The Old Houston Food Park on St Emanuel is where we got our start—It Was an Awesome Place; I Really Miss it…and Nom Mi Street Were Terrific Mentors—they taught us so much.  Both were instrumental in helping us get started and grow and we’re very grateful for their encouragement, guidance and support.

8. Do you have any advice for anyone starting their own food truck?

Aspiring Food Truck Owners should Work on an established food truck for a month before Actually deciding to pursue this.  It’s definitely a very different lifestyle.  Come work on mine!

9. What’s your favorite dish on your menu?

What I like to eat on my truck depends on my mood. We have something for every mood or person.  Some Days, I want our Southern Fried Chicken & Bacon Poutine, other days I may want our Krazy Korean BBQ Sandwich or a Smoked Gouda & Lobster Burger…It all depends.

10. Is there a particular area that you stay around or you always moving?

We’re all over Houston, but I’m spending more time on the south or south east side of Houston.  We’ve become very fond of working with PTA/PTO School groups with their fundraisers, Running a Food Park and Coordinating / Organizing Special Events in Cities Like Pearland, League City, Friendswood, Nassau Bay, Clear Lake & Clear Lake Shores and We would like to Expand our Base in and around these communities.

11. Anything else we should know about your food truck business?

It’s been a tough & challenging road and we’ve come a long way since our first day and definitely have a long way to go.  That Said, we’re very proud of being known for our TEX-ified Poutine Style Fries, Krazy Korean BBQ Steak Sandwich, Our Smoked Lobster & Gouda Burger.  We want people to see us as an Eclectic, American Bistro with Variety & Something for everyone.